New Resource Center Helps Veterans Transition to Student Life
By Joy Wang and Kristen Nakashioya
Monday, November 4, 2013 | 10:14 a.m. PST
Cal State Los Angeles celebrated the grand opening of a veterans' resource center Monday. The purpose of the center is to help veterans make the tough transition from active duty to student life.
"In the military, they're used to having a mission, completing it, and not having any orders turned down," explained Jose Sanchez, a Veterans Benefits coordinator. "When they come to school, they want you to be open minded and to question things."
The resource center helps students with anything from finding their classes to applying for financial aid. There are about six-hundred student veterans at Cal State LA.
"People come, they eat, they study and just sit here and be with each other," expressed Oni Wilcots, a student veteran. "I don't even know if I can explan it in words. It's just like being around family."
"The number one important thing we provide to verterans is really that community," said Mark Kleinsmith, the President of the Student Veterans Organization. "They can come here and realize that they're not alone."
